October 27, 2006

1. Increasing rumours that Team Bush is getting ready to drop support for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, perhaps replacing him with a "strong man" like Allawi.

2. al-Maliki increasingly outspoken and at odds with US statements: now blaming the United States-led coalition for Iraq's chaos and faulting its military strategy. Says Iraqis can fend for themselves within 6 months.

3. al-Maliki's still has not signed the IMF-imposed oil law, which would turn over Iraq's oil reserves to mainly American oil companies on punitive terms.

I think al-Maliki and his fellow puppets are refusing to sign the Oil Law, either because they fear they will be strung up by angry mobs, or because they think they can manipulate the US out of Iraq and take control of the oil for themselves, or maybe a bit of both.